Teenagers are missing out on the opportunity to spend a summer in the Gaeltacht because of an accommodation shortage, Conradh na Gaeilge has said. 

The annual rite of passage was paused during the pandemic but demand returned quickly and many students find they are missing out if they do not book early.

“The big problem is there’s not enough spaces there for the students that would like to come to Irish colleges,” General Secretary Julian de Spáinn told Newstalk Breakfast.

“A lot of the courses are being booked up between September and Christmas.

“So, we’re looking at how we address that, how do we provide more courses… We would like everybody to have that opportunity to go to the Gaeltacht - if that’s something they want to do.”

Part of the problem is the lack of accommodation, with many hosts simply deciding to retire when restrictions were lifted.

“Post-COVID, there were a number of Mná Tí and Fir Tí that didn’t come back to providing accommodation,” Mr de Spáinn said.

“You can understand a number of them would be at the age where they’re saying maybe it’s time to retire from that work.

“We need to make sure we’re bringing in new Mná Tí, Fir Tí into the system.

“To do that, we need to address some of the concerns they have - for example, the cost of providing that accommodation and all the safety requirements, the cost of the food has gone.”

Ventry seafront houses below slopes of Mount Eagle.

Another obstacle for families and young people is cost; some courses cost well over €1,000 and many students who would like to go simply cannot afford it.

It is something Conradh na Gaeilge hopes it can change.

“Only a small fraction of the students in post-primary schools actually get to go to the Gaeltacht and we think, for example, there should be a scholarship system that would really give the opportunities to students who don’t have the funds at home to the Gaeltacht,” he said.

“There is a small scholarship system at the moment but we think that should be expanded and really anybody who would like the opportunity to go to the Gaeltacht during their time in school, they should have that opportunity - no matter what background they come from.”

According to the CSO, there were 623,961 daily Irish speakers in the State at the time of the 2022 census.

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Main image: Car drives past An Ghaeltacht Beo sign in Mayo on the west coast of Ireland. Picture by: Alamy.com